Caffeine and pregnancy: is coffee and tea okay?
What could make a pregnant woman nastier than going without her morning cup of coffee? How about a dillhole telling her that she really should be drinking decaf.
People love this kind of crap. It's those little golden nuggets of advice that some like to drop on you like "I betcha didn't realize that tea has a lot of caffeine" with that demented sing-song tone. I think every pregnant woman should be issued a large metal shovel to silence these advice people but, back to caffeine.
It is recommended that pregnant women have no more than 200mg of caffeine a day which is equivalent to two mugs coffee or four cups of tea or five cans of cola per day. Seems reasonable but it also seems reasonable for someone who isn't pregnant but what do I know.
search: caffeine pregnant, coffee pregnancy, consuming caffeine while pregnant
28 Comments
Reader Comments (28)
Loving your blog! now hand over my well deserved shovel! 22 weeks and going strong, oh and P.S. I'm drinking that caffeine laden drink as we speak! I love Coffee!
A friend forwarded this to me after I posted something on Facebook about trying to survive the day with my Diet Dr Pepper. The responses I got were all written in that sing song-y voice.
I think I love you. And those aren't the pregnancy hormones talking.
Oh Man that's funny stuff. I drank coffee with my kids and they turned out, mostly fine. Except that one that twitches all the time, I'm kidding. I think the coffee advice was because it was supposed to stunt growth of a child or something along those lines but personally, I've seen how tall kids are these days...I say drink two or three pots of coffee and you might stand a chance of seeing eye to eye with your kids. :) The advice givers are only as fun as the belly rubbers. Why is it ok for strangers to touch your stomach? Because there is a child in there? Is it ok for a stranger to come up and rub your toddler? NO, so then why would it be ok for a stranger to come up and put his/her hands on your belly? Every time someone did that to me while I was pregnant and it annoyed me (which got more and more often the closer my due date got) and would rub my belly and say something about how big I was or how surely I was having at least twins, I would return the favor and rub their bellies. I got the saucer eye look every single time. :)
I just found your blog via Rants from Mommyland, and I have to tell you you've got a new fan! I just love snark, I do, so I'll be reading your blog every chance I get. I had to comment on this one. I had my first child (at the ripe freakin' age of 37) back in April. Until February of this year, I owned a coffee house. Which meant I worked in a coffee house. Every. Day. Which meant I had to deal with the public every day. I can't tell you how many times I heard that I shouldn't even work in my store because I was surely brewing a little ADD-with-a-side-of-hyperactivity baby just by being surrounded by coffee fumes. Yes, fumes. I tried my best to smile, take the advice to heart and drink decaf. Well it quickly became apparent that was not going to work. 13 years as a barista and a caffeine addiction so bad that the lack of it sent me into physical withdrawl said "nope. You need it". So it became lie about what was in my 24 cup (of course it's not my usual quad-shot, fully loaded white mocha, it's a decaf...actually it's just water. Yes, it's hot, filtered water with uhm..folic acid in it, thanks very much) in order not to bludgeon these "advice mongers" to death with the cash register. I heard about how I was going to go into preterm labor. About how I was going to have a small baby. I heard it all. I was induced on my due date. My baby was 7lbs, 7oz. She's perfectly healthy. So neener neener neener to those people. Oh yeah, I'm mature.
My doctor straight up advised me to try a cup of coffee to cure the 9 month long migraine headache I've been carrying around. This doc also told me the occassional vicodin to ease the throbbing pain would also not harm my baby if the coffee didn't work. I almost wept with joy after that appointment.
I never even considered going off of caffeine while pregnant, as everything I'd read said that two cups of coffee a day would be fine. I went through a spell both times where I had a coffee aversion for at least a couple of months, but with the migraines my doc actually suggested taking NoDoz and Tylenol. Once I wanted coffee again, I would drink it. I have twins (induced at 39 weeks, and they were 6.14 and 7.10 pounds respectively). My singleton was 8.1 pounds. All perfectly healthy.
I also ate sushi (only once - but wouldn't you know that was the one thing I craved most?!) and drank a little wine (not much, as it wasn't as good to me pregnant).
Love the site!
I hate to chime in with the nay-sayers here, since I am a serious coffee drinker, but recent studies have shown a significantly increased risk of miscarriage when pregnant women consume more than 200mg a day of caffeine.
When I miscarried my 2nd pregnancy, I had been drinking espressos daily, not knowing I was pregnant yet, and not worrying about it too much. I can't say its related but it made me feel quite guilty for ignoring the warnings.
Why is it that everyone in the world thinks that ANY pregnant woman is obligated to listen to their advice? I mean, if we looked at what OUR mothers did when they were pregnant with us, we would be appalled and surprised that we didn't come out with two head and five appendages.
FYI: I had a girlfriend have to undergo CHEMOTHERAPY for non-hodgkins lymphoma while pregnant and still had a healthy baby girl (the "baby" is now 14 year old). So if that's the case, then I think a little caffeine isn't going to hurt.
I drank caffeine (and alcohol) in moderation through both my pregnancies - both kids are bright and normal, except for the fact they're amazing little geniuses. Anyhow, I digress. NO ONE bothered me or even questioned me ever, when someone would do a coffee run at work I'd keep up with the best of them with double mocha latte whatevers. Not a word, criticism - ever. .... to MY FACE - who knows what they were saying and who cares? My husband says they never bugged me for the same reason people give me a wide berth on the side walk - my thrid arm. NO just kidding - no third arm but I don't suffer fools or tolerate snippy remarks well. So my advice - embrace your inner bitch. (On another note, I lectured a rude young man about stealing my seat on the subway too, while preggo, and he got up and left to applause on the train). Now without the hormonal swings I'm back to being sweet and nice but I really miss my inner bitch.
I drink coffee in the morning two cups, usually watered down and a cup in the pm. I mean we have kids to take of or work to do, so if ur not born with endorphines running wild (like I've seen some women with) than we gotta stay awakw somehow. My two girls are totally fine. I say sit down and get to know your body and how it works, it will tell you what's going on and what you need or don't. Its funny to listen to the critics, cuz about 80% of those people don't have kids. All and all as long as your not living off caffine or drugs or booze or smoking, everything will be ok (with exceptions of course) listen!!!!!!
My doctor told me up to 3 cups a day is fine. And recommended it to me as a stop gap since I can't take my medication whilst pregnant.
hahaha, thats great. I have been getting so much grief about coffee but I believe most anything is fine in moderation.. so I'm glad you confirmed this! Think I'll head to Starbucks now...
You are fantastic- so glad i stumbled upon your site. I too was missing my morning cup of java but now i won't have to. :)
thanks for doing all of the legwork and weeding through all of the crap that people post on the internet. Wish i had had your site for my first pregnancy, but i'm just glad i found it while still in my second!
As a dedicated coffee drinker, I researched this one very carefully when preggers 5 years ago and was so happy to find out I could keep indulging. I cannot tell you how many times I had to defend my morning cup of coffee. Luckily, if you respond back saying "recent studies show...", it helps, but I still had people insist my baby would have a low birth weight. After 3 trimesters of (moderate) coffee drinking, the poor thing weighed only 9 lbs ;-).
I wish they would come out with hard facts about caffeine and pregnancy. For years and years they have advised against it but no real research with proof.
I existed on fully caffeinated pepsi my entire pregnancy. I had hyperemesis and pepsi was about the only thing that calmed the constant nausea. I tried the decaf kind and it didn't work as well. Thankfully, nobody was stupid enough to try to tell me I shouldn't be drinking it. I would have dumped it on their head then kicked their ass for making me waste a perfectly good bottle of soda.
I drank coffee through pregnancy #1 and am happily guzzling through pregnancy #2. The other day I was at the grocery store and they were giving out free samples of coffee. The attendant pointed out that the one on the left was decaffeinated, and when I went for the caffeinated one she grabbed the cup out of my hand!
I was also drinking coffee, but then I got the Restless Leg Syndrome during nights and after a couple of weeks' worth of no sleep (and thusly needing more coffee in the morning and then not sleeping again - vicious circle) I did the research. Yup, caffeine was to be partially blamed for my twitchy legs that made me want to chop them off by 3-4 AM. Also lack of vitamins. So I switched to decaf and started on the vitamins again (I stopped for the harvest season as there was plenty of fresh produce around). The twitching went away in a matter of days. I sleep like a baby now! Several times a day, yes, because I cannot get the caffeine to keep me awake, but at least I sleep.
I also felll in love with the taste of one particular green tea with jasmine and discovered by the twitching returning that it contains caffeine. I miss coke, I miss real coffee, I miss black tea with milk and all sorts of goodies, but being able to fall asleep without crying is worth so much more! I do admit I am jealous of any woman who can drink coffee all through their pregnancies, but if you also have the Restless Leg Syndrome brought on by the pregnancy and caffeine, then consider a decaf. I am not lecturing, just recommending. ;)
I could very well use my for myself and some of those paranoid ppl that make the life change of 9mo w/o caffine. With my first son i mightve over done it by drinking monsters but he and i were perfecty fine and weird as it is hes the calm one,my second one i avoided it except a glass of tea and an occasional soda and hes my spaz,with this one im drinking a nice cold pepsi as we speak
It's so hard to decide what to do these days, with Google bringing up all sorts of information from both sides (the "caffeine is fine! I drank 7 gallons of it a day when I was pregnant and my 7 month old baby is already walking and reading at a 3rd grade level!" to the "caffeine causes miscarriage").
The bottom line for me is that there are no conclusive studies, and to err on the side of caution seems to be the best plan.
Let's say you DO miscarry...will there be pangs of guilt over the 3 cups of coffee a day habit you refused to adjust? Let's say your baby is born with something not 100% perfect...will you think about those little glasses of wine you had a few months ago? I just know that I would, and there's no reason not to make a few sacrifices for a few months, to assure that you've done everything you can do to have a healthy baby.
Also, if you do miscarry, or have an imperfect child, where will those people be - the ones who said "caffeine is fine! Drink up!" I don't think they'll be there, with a way to reverse your loss, or make it feel any better. Nor do I think the people who drank alcohol and had perfectly healthy, genius babies who are telling you wine is just fine during pregnancy will be there to help you take care of your less than perfect baby or pay for the ramps to be put into your house for the wheelchair access.
Just me. I tend to be a worrier, though. Of course, the choice is always yours!
I totally agree with you Lola but I always found that such a slippery slope because where do you stop?
Okay, I'll cut out coffee and I'll eat my steak well done and, just to be on the safe side, I won't clean out the litter box. I'll stop eating lettuce because I read about the horrible things that can happen with bacteria contamination and I won't take a tylenol for my headache because you never know. I won't drive in a car because car accidents are the leading cause of trauma and I'll leave my husband because murder is leading cause of death for pregnant women (that's true by the way).
I guess all I'm saying is all of these things seem reasonable in isolation but when you start adding them up it doesn't leave you much. You have to prioritize somewhere. I'd choose coffee over litter box but I never liked cleaning that out anyway ; )
I am really sick of the holier-than-thou people who always are talking about the what-ifs. You can eat the best food, drink only water, blah blah, and still have a low birthweight baby, a miscarriage, or a baby with defects. Its a sad reality of life. I don't even need to tout my experience of bringing 4 perfectly healthy children into the world to "prove" my point. People will bitch no matter what you do. You need to make the choices that will get you through the day, and if that is a can of soda or cup of coffee, people need to shut up!
Tracy, you're my hero!
I don't normally drink much coffee - maybe a cup on vacation - just cause it's easier to pour something outta the fridge. The only thing medically that matters (to me) is that it's harder to stay hydrated when you consume hell-tons of caffeine everyday: but that effects Everybody, not just pregnant women lol
By the way - I'm nearly 24 weeks and no one has felt the need to put hands on my belly yet - but if and when they do : they'd better be prepared to loose an appendage!
I did TONS of research on this myself before and after I found out I was pregnant. I've been an avid coffee drinker since about age 8, so it was very important to me. After weighing the information and discussing with my doc, I cut back from my usual 4-6 cups a day to 2 cups in the morning. One morning one of the ladies in the office said as I was pouring my daily dose, "I HOPE that's DECAF." To which I responded, "You don't want to see me on decaf. Besides, 2 cups a day is fine." Her reply was an incredulous, "WHO told you THAT?" I told her my doctor had given the okay, and for a moment I thought she might shut up and go away, but then she said, "Well, I hope you know that it will give you a hard labour." Whatever that means... I just stared at her for a second, then said. "Okay." She hasn't brought it up again! lol